The book addresses the entrepreneurial origin of the capitalist firm and its asymmetric contractual relationships between capitalists, workers, managers and entrepreneurs, and explains the origin of the firm by focusing on entrepreneurship. A hidden action model shows how assigning residual claim to entrepreneurs can provide a better overall incentive; a hidden information model demonstrates that capitalists are given priority and have authority to select the management, because capital can signal entrepreneurial ability; and a general equilibrium entrepreneurial model shows that the equilibrium relationships between different members of the firm depend on the joint distribution of ability, wealth and risk attitudes in the population. Overall, the book reveals that the capitalist firm is more efficient, not only because it provides better incentives but also because it ensures that the most entrepreneurial people control the firm.

The progress of society can only happen through interpersonal cooperation, because only cooperation can bring about mutual benefit, thus bringing happiness to each person. This should be our collective rationality, but we often see it conflicts with individual interests, which leads to the so-called "Prisoners' Dilemma" and does not bring happiness to all. From a game theoretical perspective, this book addresses the issue of how people can cooperate better. It has two objectives. The first is to use common language to systematically introduce the basic methodologies and core conclusions of Game Theory, including the Nash equilibrium, multiple equilibriums, dynamic games, etc. Mathematics and theoretical models are used to the minimum necessary scope too, to make this book get access to ordinary readers with elementary mathematical training. The second objective is to utilize these methods and conclusions to analyze various Chinese social issues and institutional arrangements, with a focus on the reasons people exhibit non-cooperative behaviors as well as the institutions and cultures that promote interpersonal cooperation. In addition to economics, specialists in sociology, law, history, politics and management will also be attracted by this book for its insightful analysis on the issue of cooperation in these fields. Also, readers curious about Chinese society will benefit from this book.

This book attempts to convey that ideas matter and China needs right ideas to defeat wrong ideas and to guide its future reform. The successes that China has accomplished over the last 40 years of reform and opening were the result of ideas defeating interests. After the end of the "Cultural Revolution," Deng Xiaoping initiated market-oriented Reform and Opening because he had new ideas. While China has made great progress in both economic and social development since the beginning of reform and opening, there is still a long way to go to become a liberal society. Although the ideas of political leaders are crucial in the short term for social transformation to take place, the ideas of the common people play a more important role in the long term. The types of new ideas that China needs are proposed in this book.

This book attempts to convey that ideas matter and China needs right ideas to defeat wrong ideas and to guide its future reform. The successes that China has accomplished over the last 40 years of reform and opening were the result of ideas defeating interests. After the end of the "Cultural Revolution," Deng Xiaoping initiated market-oriented Reform and Opening because he had new ideas. While China has made great progress in both economic and social development since the beginning of reform and opening, there is still a long way to go to become a liberal society. Although the ideas of political leaders are crucial in the short term for social transformation to take place, the ideas of the common people play a more important role in the long term. The types of new ideas that China needs are proposed in this book.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV), discovered in 1966, infects more than 350 million people in the world. The infection of HBV is a leading cause of chronic carriage of the virus and progressive liver diseases, such as hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HBV consists of a circular, partially double-stranded DNA molecule of 3.2 kb in length, which contains four overlapping reading frames that code for surface proteins (HBsAg), core proteins (HBcAg/HBeAg), the viral polymerase, and the transcriptional transactivator X protein. Chronic hepatitis appears to be due to a suboptimal cellular immune response that destroys some of the infected hepatocytes and does not purge the virus from the remaining infected hepatocytes, thereby permitting the persisting virus to trigger a chronic indolent necroinflammatory liver disease that sets the stage for development of HCC. However, the mechanisms responsible for malignant transformation in chronic HBV infection are not well defined, and both viral and host factors have been implicated in the process. All cases of HCC occur after many years of chronic hepatitis which could, theoretically, provide the mitogenic and mutagenic environment to precipitate random genetic and chromosomal damage, and lead to the development of HCC. Hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx), an important transforming inducer, plays a crucial role in HCC development. HBx has the capability to influence a variety of signal transduction pathways within the cells. Monitoring of the HBV genotypes and antibody to Hepatitis B x antigen (anti-HBx) are significant for predicting early diagnosis of liver cirrhosis and HCC. HBV and Hepatitis C virus or HIV coinfections can accelerate the course of chronic liver disease and facilitate progression to cirrhosis and HCC. As for therapy of liver diseases, five drugs are now FDA-approved for the treatment of HBV, including interferon (IFN), lamivudine, adefovir, entecavir, and peginterferon alfa-2a. Moreover, the prevention for HBV infection is very important. It is likely that the most important outcome of the research on HBV has been the invention, development, and application of the vaccine against HBV. However, at present most investigators focus on basic research rather than practical applications. The HBV research should be focused on animal models and clinical practice. The technology update in HBV research and the multisubject combination may be attached importance to next a few decades. Some molecular approaches, such as antisense, oligonucleotides, ribozymes, RNA interference targeting HBV mRNA, are available in antiviral therapies.

The progress of society can only happen through interpersonal cooperation, because only cooperation can bring about mutual benefit, thus bringing happiness to each person. This should be our collective rationality, but we often see it conflicts with individual interests, which leads to the so-called "Prisoners' Dilemma" and does not bring happiness to all. From a game theoretical perspective, this book addresses the issue of how people can cooperate better. It has two objectives. The first is to use common language to systematically introduce the basic methodologies and core conclusions of Game Theory, including the Nash equilibrium, multiple equilibriums, dynamic games, etc. Mathematics and theoretical models are used to the minimum necessary scope too, to make this book get access to ordinary readers with elementary mathematical training. The second objective is to utilize these methods and conclusions to analyze various Chinese social issues and institutional arrangements, with a focus on the reasons people exhibit non-cooperative behaviors as well as the institutions and cultures that promote interpersonal cooperation. In addition to economics, specialists in sociology, law, history, politics and management will also be attracted by this book for its insightful analysis on the issue of cooperation in these fields. Also, readers curious about Chinese society will benefit from this book.